The club is open to all, but club events take place during the week and we meet at Chilson Senior Center in Loveland, CO. Our basic purpose is to fish, but we're easily distracted by the chance to work with youngsters or improve northern Colorado outdoor resources.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Colorado Division
of Parks and Wildlife has completed an early assessment of the remaining fish
populations in the Big Thompson River below Estes Park, with some encouraging
results from the catch and release section between Watonia bridge upstream to
Olympus Dam below Lake Estes. Further down though, the river’s
short-term health is pretty murky and survey work has not been completed.

With U.S. 34
reopening, the club should be able to see for ourselves what it’s now like from
Drake east to Loveland. Expect to find some serious channelization
and stream stabilization, and potential conflicts to come as decisions are made
on restoration of the river, one of Colorado’s best known trout waters.

Ben Swigle, this
region’s aquatic biologist, described the division’s electroshock survey
results on the Big Thompson at the Nov. 20 meeting of Rocky Mountain Flycasters
in Fort Collins. Results in the stream section just below Olympus
Dam, which looked dismal immediately after the July 14 flash flood,
“show us that the trout population in that area is in good shape,” Ben
says. All year classes for rainbows were found in numbers comparable
to previous surveys, and they even found two walleye, presumably washed out of
Lake Estes.

Go downstream two
miles “and it’s not pretty,” but the fishing should be okay, he
says. Even four miles downstream, division staff shocked enough fish
to estimate about 4,000 trout per stream mile, comparable to surveys in 2008.

The handicap pier on
the river was destroyed, though. And go further east around Drake
and the extraordinary construction efforts to restore travel on U.S. 34 make
the Big Thompson has the river resembling more of an irrigation ditch that a wild
river Ben reports. In the Narrows area just west of Loveland, the
once-healthy portion of the river has been temporily channelized. Around
Glade Park, where the state made major habitat improvements in 2009 to help
fishing, the surveys identified a substancial decline of the brown trout
population with this, section of the river suffering major damage

Okay, posted a little late: Club Secretary Karol Stroschein got us a great cake to help commemorate LFC's 10th anniversary at the October general meeting. The upcoming banquet in January will mark the club's official first annual gathering.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Per his invitation at the September club meeting, Leland Haskell has some restored cars "that most folks have never heard of before," and he's inviting club members to have a look at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30. The address is 3840 S. Garfield Ave., Loveland; phone 970-593-2923.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Front Range Anglers has compiled a list of recommended fly fishing waters reasonably close to home, while we're waiting for Front Range flooding to subside. Here's the link.

Front Range Anglers is a Boulder-based fly fishing store and guide service. Their choice for fishable waters within a 3-hour radius of Boulder: the Blue, Fraser, Williams Fork, South St. Vrain and the South Platte Rivers.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

I for one was disheartened by an aerial video of our Bellevule Watson hatchery at under water last week, but lo and behold! the hatchery "did survive and has quite a few fish left," reports Clayton Brossart, Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager. It's good news for flood-weary fishermen for the fall - and holding promise for a reasonable winter ice fishing season.

"They've been trying to empty the hatchery by stocking out ahead of schedule," Clayton says. "They stocked Boyd, Flatiron and Lon Hagler this week, so the fishing should be good as the water clears up."

Tom Miller also reports that Flatiron and Pinewood have gotten fish since the flood. He also swears he saw trout trying to jump back into the Boyd outlet pipe from Horseshoe Lake. See his photo below.

Water from Horseshoe pours into a rapidly filling Boyd Sept. 20, as a couple of anglers try their luck at the Marina Inlet.

Friday, September 20, 2013

We'll be updating you as circumstances dictate on what's known about area fishing and the outdoors in general. Horsetooth, Boyd, Carter and others are open, but there are longer, evolving lists of what's closed. The Boulder Canyon and Canyon Lakes ranger districts of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests are also closed temporarily, due to saturated soils and the need to facility emergency response.

Even though the water's pretty muddy and getting worse, I'd recommend the Marina and Heinrici inlets at Boyd, where water coming from Horseshoe is creating a current that attracts predator fish. Let us know how you're doing there or elsewhere. Any word on conditions at Lon Hagler, Boedecker, Lonetree or elsewhere? Know they're full and muddy; any fish biting?

I'll be looking for links to agencies providing reports on other areas. If you want to chime in on others, send me a note. My thanks to club friend Dennis Smith, author of the Home Waters column, for help identifying closed area. Bill.

Here's a partial list of closings as of 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

During Tuesday's club meeting, I noted that we were about to celebrate our 10th anniversary, but some of our founding fathers weren't around to reminisce or enjoy some cake and ice cream: Two of first
presidents were nowhere to be seen, Jim Clune and Norm Englebrecht, and neither was our government affairs chair, Jim Roode. Here's why:

Sept. 18, 2013 - The Loveland Fishing
Club, a group of about 100 anglers affiliated with the Chilson Senior Center,
is donating $1,000 to the Northern Colorado Donation Center, set up to
facilitate aid to Big Thompson flood victims.

"We were holding
our monthly meeting Tuesday, and the idea was met with unanimous
approval," says Club President Jerry Miles. "Some thought we
should donate directly to the Red Cross, but we like the way the new center is
focused on our community, and that the aid goes for what local disaster relief
people feel is needed most.”

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Several club members have asked for a link to the Fort Collins Coloradoan video shown at the Sept. 17 club meeting, showing the impact of flooding along the Big Thompson and Cache la Poudre. Click here to view.

If you're heading somewhere and wondering if you can still get there from here, Google has created a nifty, interactive and regularly updated map showing northern Front Range road closings. Here's the link. Click on a portion of the map to enlarge the area you're interested in.

Bill Thompson

Bob Thorpe

Warren Trock

Dan Valencia

Bernie Wysock

Bill Richie

Monday, September 16, 2013

We hate to do this, as dozens of club members have busted
themselves getting ready for the third annual derby, and a great turnout was
expected. But the floods got to us.

After inspecting Flatirons Reservoir and the roads into the Larimer County Parks and Open Space property Monday, organizer Ray Park reluctantly decided the senior derby would have to be
cancelled. The club tournament planned
for Monday Sept. 23, will also not be held.

Northern Colorado’s natural resources have suffered enormous
losses, many of which won’t be apparent for weeks or months. The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife
hatchery at Laporte, friends who have supported major club events including this
week’s derby, was inundated by the Cache la Poudre. And we know there’s major
damage to the new River’s Edge Natural Area in Loveland, which the club had
planned to support at a grand opening Sept. 28.
They’re going to have other needs for a long time.

As for the Senior Derby and our disappointed but understanding
friends at area assisted living centers, we’ll put together another event in 2014 that will knock their support hose
off.

Monday, September 9, 2013

The
third annual Loveland Senior Fishing Derby is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Flatiron Reservoir west of Loveland on County Road
18E.

The
free event is co-sponsored by the Loveland Fishing Club and Chilson Senior
Center, aided by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, which will be
stocking the lake with trout to help ensure the day’s success. We need lots of volunteer help to ensure a great day for these elderly anglers, so be sure to add your name to Ray Park's signup sheet at breakfast or the Sept. 17 club meeting. This is quickly become one of the year's highlights.

Residents
of all assisted living centers in the city have been invited to participate, and
the club is covering the cost of their fishing license. Chilsen Senior Center
is also signing up participants.

The Harvest Bazaar at Chilson, an annual fund-raising event for the Chilson Senior Advisory Committee, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

The Loveland Fishing Club is traditionally a major supporter, and volunteers are needed to help with meal prep, cleanup and other activities. See the signup sheet at breakfast and at the Tuesday, Sept. 17 club meeting for details.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Okay, not the most popular sport at Boyd Lake: the six club members who showed up Tuesday night had the usually busy lake to themselves, soon after dusk. But it was a great night to be on the water, cool and dead calm, great for float tubing, if not for harvest. Jim Roode, shown here in his new pontoon boat, took home a fat 18-inch channel cat that fell victim to a nightcrawler crawling along the bottom. "There are some big fish in this lake," says Jim, ready to try it again. Photo by Bill Prater

General meeting, 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, Chilsen. A special meeting marking the 10th anniversary of the club's founding!

3rd Annual Loveland Fishing Club Senior Fishing Derby, Flatiron Reservoir, Wednesday, Sept. 18. We're upping the ante with even more assisted living centers invited to participate, along with an open invitation to seniors at Chilsen Center. This is our chance to bring a unique fishing opportunity to Loveland seniors the way we hope someone does for us one of these days.

Annual Club Tournament, also at Flatiron, 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, Sept. 20. The Division of Wildlife will be stocking the lake with catchable trout just before our Senior Fishing Derby, and we're planning to catch whatever's left. Norm Englebrecht, last year's big winner, is responsible for the free picnic lunch that follows the competition. (Okay, he's responsible for cooking the hot dogs)

Grand Opening, River's Edge Natural Area, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. The club will be helping the Division of Wildlife with kids' fishing, and in return we get an early crack at fishing the three ponds! 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Details to come.

October follows quickly. Check the club calendar for the fishing schedule; Lou has a major campout planned at Dowdy Lake Oct. 1-4th.

What else would you be doing on a hot August night? Join Jim Roode and Bill Prater for an evening of catfishing at Boyd Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Whether you join them in a float tube or fish from the bank or a boat, this should be a good evening on the water.

We'll be meeting at the marina bay boat ramp around 7 p.m. and fish until we exhaust our worms or our patience. At least two other club members are planning to bank fish near the ramp, and be available in case one of us springs a leak. Don't forget the West Nile mosquito threat; wear long sleeves and bring lots of repellent.

If you need a lift into the park to avoid the entrance fee, come by Bill's by 6:30; 1915 Pikes Peak Drive, just south of East 37th Street near the park.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

More than 120 folks - club members, spouses and a few other special guests - turned out for the Aug. 20 picnic at Loveland's Railroad Park. John Gwinnup and crew manned the grills, Tom and Sheila Miller brought in sweet corn fresh from their garden, and everyone chipped in with something special to eat.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is
informing boaters that the water level at Jackson Lake State Park east of Jackson has dropped to
a level that makes it difficult for larger vessels to launch. Water levels at
the end of the boat ramp are currently at a mere two and a half feet.

The water stored in Jackson Lake is for
irrigation of crops. The drawdown of the reservoir is the result of area
farmers need for the water. Around Nov. 1, water should begin to flow into the
reservoir again.

Smaller vessels such as small aluminum fishing boats and
jet skis can still launch at Jackson Lake State Park. However, larger vessels
with a deep hull or a trailer that sits high above the ground will have
difficulty or be unable to launch. Hand launched craft such as canoes and
kayaks will be allowed until the water level drops to a level that Park
personnel cannot launch rescue craft onto the water.

Inspections for
aquatic nuisance species are still in effect until the reservoir closes to
boating. Hours for the station have changed effective Aug. 12. The new hours
will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday.

All other activities remain open. Visitors can enjoy camping,
fishing, an OHV track, bird watching and interpretive programs. For the most
current conditions, please call 970-645-2551 or email dnr_jackson.lake@state.cous
or find us on Facebook.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Our friends with Colorado Youth Outdoors have invited us to fish again at Swift Ponds north of Windsor, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15.

Fishing is catch and release only; barbless hooks recommended. You're free to fish at any pond on the facility; in the past we've kinda scattered all over the place. Fishing can be very good, especially for largemouth bass.

The facility has restrooms and a drinking fountain, but you might want to bring drinks and a picnic lunch. Thanks to Dave Boyle for making the arrangements.

This year's
picnic will be at the covered picnic area at Old Fairground Park; your spouse or
significant other is welcome. We need to get a headcount to make sure we have
enough food for everyone, so if you didn't already sign up at Friday breakfast,
please let George Kral, kral@Q.com know you're
coming.

Steak, chicken, corn and other good things will be
served beginning at 5:30 p.m., but you're welcome to come from 3:30 on. Bring
your own knife and fork. Tom Boesch is in overall charge of the event; John
Gwinnup is lining up volunteers to bring in their grills to cook the meat, and
Tom Miller is again providing everyone with fresh-picked corn from his garden.
Also, please bring a dessert,
hot dish or salad, enough to serve 5 people.If
you're last name begins with A-G, please bring dessert; H-O, a hot dish; and
P-Z, a salad. The club will provide the rest. We'll be under the
group pavilion. Note the picnic is in lieu of our usual monthly meeting at Chilson Center.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

The club had another great time with Loveland Girl Scouts on Tuesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 17, at their annual Jamboree at Lon Hagler. We hosted more about 120 girls, demonstrating techniques where needed and generally enjoying the giggles and occasional fish
.

If you have a few hours to spare on a Saturday morning this summer, consider helping Colorado Parks and Wildlife with a fishing clinic for young campers.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (meet at the Boyd Lake Visitors Center at 8:30 a.m.)
Fishing gear will be provided; participants must be 18 or younger and accompanied by an adult. They'd like two or three club members to help the team lead.
Here are the dates:
May 25
June 8 (a Jax-sponsored Boat Day at the lake)
June 22
July 3
Sunday, July 25, Adventure Day Camp
Aug. 31

Monday, April 29, 2013

"Here's the plan," said Jim Roode: We wait until ice out at Delaney Buttes, and fish from the bank into the open water. Big fish."

All of us had Jim's invitation to go to the lake north of Walden, but only Charlie Higgs took him up on the offer. "You missed a good one," Jim said, upon his return. "That cut bow (see below) was 23" and I also returned a bigger
brown that took over 5 minutes to land on 2lb test line. The fish was exhausted and needed to be returned immediately. He was a couple of inches longer
measured next to the rod and twice as heavy as that cutbow. I caught 5 more
from 10 to 18" in two half days of fishing and Charlie caught more than twice
that many. It was a good trip."

DENVER - Whether you’re a seasoned
angler or you’ve never picked up a rod, finding a place to fish in Colorado has
never been easier! Colorado Parks and Wildlife has launched several new tools
for anglers ready to enjoy everything Colorado fishing has to offer. The
Colorado Fishing Atlas, the latest interactive mapping tool
offered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, allows users to search for fishing
opportunities by species, specific interest or proximity to your home or
destination. Use the simple map interface to locate and view recommended
opportunities for the family, remote fly fishing or ice fishing. Additional
information such as handicap accessible fishing access, stocked waters, boat
ramps, special fishing regulations, stream gauges, license agents and Gold Medal
waters is included overlaid on top of Bing™ street maps, USGS topographic maps
or high-resolution color aerial photography. The Colorado Fishing Atlas also
includes a printable Fishing Resource Report that provides nearby state and
federal management agency offices, emergency facilities, campgrounds and fishing
license agents. The Colorado Fishing Atlas can be found online through the
fishing page on Colorado Parks and Wildlife website at http://cpw.state.co.us. New
users of the Colorado Fishing Atlas can also watch short video tutorials that explain the system.

In
addition to the new interactive Colorado Fishing Atlas, Colorado anglers can now
share tips, share recipes, get the latest conditions, find a fishing buddy, find
a fishing clinic, ask questions, or post pictures of their latest catch on the
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Fishing page on Facebook. Facebook users can find
and "like" the new page by searching for "CPW Fishing" or by going to http://facebook.com/CPWFishing.

If Twitter is your
social media platform of choice, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife)
has launched a Twitter feed for anglers. Follow the fish on Twitter @CPWFish.

Monday, April 15, 2013

The May 3 "Maverick Sporting Clays Shoot," CYO's annual fund-raiser at Sylvan Ranch, supported by Loveland Fishing Club volunteers for years, is three weeks away and they need some help with Station Masters and Hosts and other positions.

The Maverick Shoot is attended by former pro athletes, local business leaders and shooting sports professionals so you never know who you may meet!

Sign up at Tuesday's General Meeting at Chilsen. For more information, e-mail or call Brad Wright, 970-663-0800, and identify yourself as a club member.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Using Google Earth to catch more fish!

Okay, some of you fish more in a week than I do in a month. And the fish I pulled out of
the ice this winter all came from my freezer.
But I’ll bet I AM generally cleverer
than most of the club when it comes to scouting and fishing new water. And I’ll show you how and why: by taking advantage of new internet
technology – especially Google Earth, Bing Maps, another web tool called
Angling Technologies that costs a little, and some related new Colorado
Division of Parks and Wildlife software.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

We've no doubt had a setback with the past week's snow and icy cold weather, but hey, it's warming up some and the bass should be starting to get active. I'll be looking for them with a lipless crank bait, and maybe a football jig, but you should also be testing the water with a drop shot. For the water around here, particular the gravel ponds that warm up first, it's a good technique right on through the spawn. Not real complicated, just requires you to learn to tie a Palomar knot, and exercise a little patience and imagination.

Having said that, you might want to look over this article on the Tackle Warehouse website; they're trying to sell you stuff, but it's a pretty non-commercial discussion of how to go about dropping your worm right where you think they're hiding. Bill http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/guides/dropshot.html

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Past President Tom Miller will be leading a tour of Loveland area fishing spots on Friday, March 29.

Tom says the plan will be to visit southern Larimer County ponds and lakes - Pinewood, Carter, Jay Hawk and the Lon Hagler, Simpson and Big Thompson State Wildlife Areas.

The tour will began after Friday morning's breakfast at the Loveland Perkins, 9 a.m. or so. It's intended to acquaint new members with these fishing spots, but all members are welcome. We'll carpool. No need for registration, but if you'd like to talk to Tom about it, contact him at 970-669-3583.

At Pinewood, a Loveland Fishing Club grant and volunteer work helped Larimer County make major improvements to shoreline access to the popular trout-fishing lake. The club installed a belly boat launch at Jay Hawk, and funded and help install fish feeders there in 2011. The club has also pledged financial and volunteer support for proposed improvements at Lon Hagler.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

If you're not using it yet, you may find the Colorado Division of Wildlife's stream flow information useful before you head up and find your river's gone dry. You just go to this Colorado Division of Water Resources website and look for the monitoring site you want, such as this one for the Cache La Poudre at Fort Collins. With a few clicks of the button you can learn current flows and compare it to historic levels. If you do it right now, it's kind of depressing. Bill

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Exhausted from washing all the dishes?Embarrassed from losing every basketball game
with your granddaughter?Well, if you
can’t be Master of the House, you can be a Master Angler.

Merle Boden, who
earned a Colorado Master Angler patch and certificate from the Colorado
Division of Wildlife for an 18 /12 inch largemouth, urges other club members to
be aware of and take advantage of the program.

Like the Club’s new Monthly Tournament, the Master Angler
program The Master Angler Recognition
Program is designed to recognize anglers for success in their sport, as well as
to promote the conservation of fishery resources and quality fishing .It also encourages the careful release of trophy-size
popular sport species by awarding certificates in two categories:fish caught and released, and fish caught
and kept.So you can measure the fish
and return it to the water alive if you choose to do so.

Here’s a link to the DOW website with information on qualifying size and how to submit an
application.Fish you catch during the
tournament can qualify:like the
tournament, the DOW requires a witness.You also
need to submit a clear photograph – which we’d also like to see to post on this
blog.If you have questions, contact
Merle, who pulled his Master Angler-winning largemouth from a hole in the top
of Lone Tree Reservoir while ice fishing in February.categories: fish caught and released, and fish
caught and kept. details.) This allows anglers to measure fish and return them
to the water alive if they choose to do so.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Boyd Lake opened for boating on Sunday, March 17; I (and a couple other optimists) took the boat out for a few hours that afternoon to test the waters, which are still pretty cold, about 38 degrees.

Inspections are still required; current hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

North Sterling
State Park has also opened to boating, about a month earlier than scheduled. The Division of Wildlife says they've begun "aggressive stocking" and fishing should pick up as water temperatures rise." That may be a bit optimistic: last summer's water drawdowns for irrigation was expected to lead to a total fish kill. That didn't happen last year, but losses were set at more than 75 percent.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Tom Miller, who helped found the Loveland Fishing Club a
decade ago and served as its first president, was honored Tuesday, March 12,
with the RSVP Senior Corps’ “Lead with Experience” Service Award.

RSVP noted Tom “continues to redefine the way seniors
contribute to the quality of outdoor recreation in northern Colorado. “As noted in his nomination by Club Vice
President Bill Prater, Tom’s “in-depth knowledge of public policy and fishing
and hunting continue to pay remarkable benefits for seniors, youngsters and
other residents of Larimer County. “

Joining in support of Tom’s award were staff of Colorado
Parks and Wildlife, Larimer Parks and Open Lands and Chilson Senior Center,
along with club members.LFC’s Walt
Graul and Jim Roode both praised Tom’s leadership in pushing to save
county-owned properties along the Big Thompson River, and involvement with
Larimer County Parks Advisory Board.

In creating the Loveland Fishing Club in September, 2003,
Tom helped forge a strong relationship with Chilson Senior Center and Loveland
Parks and Recreation Foundation, and has since been a consistent leader in
initiatives with the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Youth
Outdoors fishing programs at Swift Ponds, and Loveland Police, our teammate in
the annual Loveland Kids Fishing Derby.

Tom accepts congratulations from other nominees for the TSVP Lead with Leadership Service Award at the Loveland Museum and Gallery.